Demos Statement on First Pence-Kobach Commission Meeting

NEW YORK, NY – In response to the first Pence-Kobach Commission meeting tomorrow, Brenda Wright, Vice President, Policy & Legal Strategies at Demos, released the following statement:

“The Pence-Kobach Commission is the Trump Administration’s latest attempt to shrink the electorate. It has no legitimacy and no agenda other than to bolster the President’s lies about illegal voting in the 2016 election. The Commission is a blatant political ploy to suppress voter turnout and kick eligible voters off the rolls.

“Our democracy is strongest when every eligible citizen can cast their vote and have it counted. Our leaders should be fighting to ensure eligible voters do not face barriers when trying to participate in our democracy. The Pence-Kobach Commission is on a cynical mission to do just the opposite -- all the while ignoring the only real evidence of illegal interference in our elections: the meddling by Russia, a hostile foreign government that denies basic human rights to its own citizens.

“States should continue to reject the Administration’s voter suppression tactics, starting with the Commission. And all who want to actually improve our elections should work instead to ensure eligible individuals are able to exercise their constitutional right to vote through fully implementing the National Voter Registration Act, establishing same-day and automatic voter registration, and fighting racially discriminatory voting practices.”